The Painful Process of Staying Relevant
July 24, 2016
Written By Mark Fenner
How often in your life have you had a rewarding accomplishment come easily? In my experience, the answer is almost never. In this ultra-competitive world we live in, great things don’t just happen. It takes hard work, focus and tremendous effort to achieve meaningful results.
MFA Oil is currently in the process of a major upgrade to our business management software that will allow the company to improve in many areas, including our service to customers. That may sound fairly simple, but trust me, it’s not.
This new system provides dramatic enhancements to our operations, enabling us to improve our efficiency and better serve you. For example, we will soon be able to consolidate statements for customers with multiple accounts into a single statement. We’ll also be able to offer customers tank monitoring services where you won’t need to call us for fuel. We’ll know when you need fuel, and we’ll schedule a delivery to make sure you don’t run out. It’s all part of our overall plan of making it easier to do business with us.
While the new system offers many benefits, it’s a big change for our employees. Learning something new that’s dramatically different can be stressful, but we are working with our employees to train them so they can continue to offer customers an excellent service experience. So far we’ve completed 75 percent of the transition, and our folks have done amazingly well.
Not long ago I heard Rick Warren, Christian author of A Purpose Driven Life, speak on the topic of change and relevance. One particular quote resonated with me: “When the speed of change outside an organization is faster than the speed of change inside the organization, the organization becomes irrelevant.”
Unfortunately for MFA Oil, there was a period of time when we were not keeping up with the pace of change around us. We had some serious catching up to do, but I’m pleased to report we have not only caught up, we will soon be on the cutting edge. The new system is a big part of that, but we’ve also invested in modern facilities and new equipment that have allowed us to step up our performance and service to customers.
Yes, staying relevant can be taxing and expensive. But we’re committed to being a great company, and it’s our job to take the necessary steps to make sure we stay that way.